


Communication Mismanaged

by FortunesRevolver



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: And hilarity ensues., Based on a tumblr prompt of sorts., He needs it., In which Mikleo suffers because Sorey is not clear enough in his meanings., M/M, Not Drama, Pray for Mikleo., Sormik Week 2016, it's comedy and fluff I promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-07 15:38:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7720351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FortunesRevolver/pseuds/FortunesRevolver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So he won’t be here anytime soon?” The way Rose asked would have sent of warning bells in anyone’s mind, but Sorey, ever trusting, nodded in response. “Great! Then we have time.”</p><p>“Time for what?”</p><p>“To help you, duh,” Zaveid grinned and leaned forward to rest his forearms against the table. “And finally put a stop to that painful dance you and Mikkboy have been doing for years.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The moment Rose sat down at the table across from him with Zaveid, Sorey felt a sudden rush of regret build in his chest. If the looks on their faces were any sort of foreshadowing of what was in store for him, then maybe he really _should_ have waited outside the Student Council for Mikleo to finish his meeting. He’d done it frequently enough that most wouldn’t bother to try and move him out of the hallway. Anyone who did would cease their efforts the moment Sorey mentioned Mikleo -- an odd thing, really, but everyone Sorey came across seemed to find a confusing amount of delight in anything they did for one another. In the end, he had ultimately accepted that a lot of the students were just strange and was grateful for their willingness to let him linger.

“Hey, guys,” pushing away his uncertainties, Sorey smiled and slid the grapes he’d been nibbling absently forward in invitation. “What are you two still doing on campus? I thought you had a double-date.”

“We do,” Rose shrugged and plucked up one of the grabs, popping it into her mouth. “Dezel is turning in a report or something and who knows what Edna is doing. She said she’d meet us at the car.”

“Since you’re still hanging around here, we thought we’d stop in and check up on you -- maybe offer a little advice on what to do.”

“Do…?” Sorey frowned and looks between the grapes and his friends, wondering if he’d missed something. “Um, is there a special way to eat them?”

“Not the grapes!” Zavied groaned and shook his head. “Rose, help me out here.”

“You’re waiting for Mikleo, right?” Rose grinned and grabbed another grape. “Student Council meeting again?”

“Yeah, he said it was important for the festival next month.”

“So he won’t be here anytime soon?” The way Rose asked would have sent of warning bells in anyone’s mind, but Sorey, ever trusting, nodded in response. “Great! Then we have time.”

“Time for what?”

“To help you, duh,” Zaveid grinned and leaned forward to rest his forearms against the table. “And finally put a stop to that painful dance you and Mikkboy have been doing for years.”

“Dance? I don’t--”

“Ignore him,” Rose cut Sorey off before he could finish his question and waved her hand in the air. “Why are you waiting for Mikleo, anyway? Don’t you have homework?”

“I finished it already.” Sorey pointed to the folder sitting next to him on the table. “There wasn’t a lot to do today.”

“So? Most people do it in their dorms or the library. Not in the union.”

“Mikleo is upstairs.” The response was so easy and casual, it sounded as if it should have made sense to most anyone -- and to Sorey, it did. Lingering in the hall always seemed to embarrass Mikleo, but waiting downstairs in the lobby had been an easy enough compromise. “Why leave when I’d just come back to pick him up?”

“What if the meeting goes into dinner?”

“Then I’d pick us something up from the cafeteria.”

“That’s on the other side of campus.”

“There’s a smaller one next door. I could use that.”

“Wouldn’t it just be _easier_ to wait for him at your dorm?” Rose asked, watching carefully as Sorey seemed to consider her suggestion. It might have been, certainly, and definitely more comfortable, but if Mikleo had found out he’d taken all the time to walk home, just to walk back only to walk him home again, he’d get worked up again -- he learned that last time. As much as he enjoyed seeing Mikleo with flushed cheeks, just staying on campus made things easier for everyone. He could always use homework or reading at the library as an excuse.

“I guess so,” Sorey conceded and shrugged once more with another smile. “But I don’t mind. Mikleo and I always walk home together. He always waits for me whenever I have soccer practice.”

“No kidding? With as easy as he burns?”

“Well, we did get him that really nice sun umbrella. It’s big enough that he’s always in the shade.”

“Geez…” Rose sighed and dropped her chin into her palm. “You’re such a doting boyfriend.”

“I--huh?” Sorey’s hand froze halfway to the grape bowl as colour slowly began to grow across his cheeks. His shock was short-lived and he quickly gave his hand a small shake. “It’s not like that -- Mikleo’s my best friend. It wouldn’t be fair if he stayed for me and I always left him alone.”

“What, so if he didn’t stick around while you were kicking balls, you wouldn’t be here?”

“Of course I would.”

Beside Rose, Zaveid looked as if he was struggling to keep himself quiet, but each time he would open his mouth, he would suddenly seem to forget what he wanted to say and look as if he were in great pain.

“But _why?_ What’s in it for you?”

“In it for me…?” Sorey’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. The question didn’t particularly make sense, at least, not to him. What other reason would he _need?_ “Walking back with Mikleo. It’s easier for us to eat dinner together that way too.”

“So… let me get this straight. You two walk to class together.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Have always lived together.”

“Until we came here we were just neighbours, but I guess we had sleepovers a lot.”

“...right, yeah, sure, whatever. You eat all your meals together.”

“Most of them, yeah.”

“You share a room--”

“Only last year when we had one of the single rooms. This year we have one of the doubles with a shared bathroom and kitchen.”

“Not the point. Did you two share a bed too?”

“...should we have?” Sorey asked, surprised. “We just kept our beds in the corners of the room. It left most of it open to move around. I guess if we pushed them together, it would give us more room to roll around--”

“ _Yeah_ it would! Damn, I didn’t think you had it in--” Zaveid cut in before Rose could stop him, only to yelp a moment later as a heel dug into his foot once more.

“Shut _up!_ ” Rose growled, “I said you could help, not confuse him _more_. We haven’t even gotten a confession yet. You’re gonna make him run off.”

“Um, guys?” Sorey rubbed the back of his neck, his tone tentative. “Am I... maybe missing something here?”

“Just a bit,” Zavied admitted and quickly moved down the table’s bench to avoid another displeased blow to his suffering toes. “Hey, hey! Goddamn. Slow those feet of yours. It’s not like he’s going to catch on if we keep beating around the bush like this.”

“Guys--”

“What Rose here is trying to ask is if--ouch! Knock it off already!--if you’ve told Mikleo--OW!--about your _huge_ boner crush on him.”

“Zaveid! Uuugh, you ruined it!” Rose groaned and buried her face in her hands. “I had a whole plan to ask him questions and prove a point and get him to say it himself! Now you went and made it weird!”

“ _Weird?_ How is what I’m doing and weirder than your interrogation?”

“Mine had tact!”

“Tact is for the politically correct and weak. The brave and determined push forward with honest vigor.”

“You’re so lucky I’m not the one who carries an umbrella around, ugh. _Anyway…_ ” Rose groaned and turned back to Sorey who, by this point, had taken on a brilliant shade of red reminiscent of a tomato. “About Mikleo--”

“I don’t… I don’t really get what you mean. Mikleo is my--”

“Best friend. Roommate. Partner. Buddy. Live-in Guy Pal. Pick your poison. There’s a reason I didn’t stick with English.”

“You just didn’t want to keep writing papers.” Rose muttered and snagged another grape, still very put-off about her entire plan being laid to waste.

“That,” Zaveid huffed, “is beside the point. Point is, I’m right about how Sorey here feels about our resident pretty boy, and I’ve got plenty of fool-proof tactics to help him snag a date.”

“All your ‘tactics’ are going to do is get him in _trouble_.”

“What!?” Zaveid gasped and drew a hand to his chest, scandalized. “My tactics have been proven time again by time! They are the refined ideas of a man who knows how to work the ways of a woman. How to make her feel _special_ and like she’s the only girl in the room! They--”

“Yeah, yeah, blahblah, whatever, Casanova. Last time I checked, it was _Edna_ who had _you_ all flustered and eating out of her hand. And what good would that do anyway? Mikleo's a--”

“Hey! She had to fall for me first, and I know just how to--”

“I don’t really think any of that would work.” Sorey cut in, raising his voice in the hopes of getting Rose and Zaveid to stop before things went too far. He still hadn’t entirely figured out what was going on, but if the goal was to make Mikleo feel special, then they were completely off the mark. “I mean, Mikleo isn’t the kind of person who likes stuff like that. Being in the spotlight would just bother him…”

“...yeah?” Rose grinned and pushed Zaveid back with the palm of her hand. “You sure know a lot about him.”

“Of course I do,” Sorey replied almost immediately, “he’s my best friend.”

“That’s _all_ he is?”

“W-well, I mean… yes?”

“Are you trying to convince _me_ or _you_?” Rose’s fallen mood had all but disappeared as she leaned across the table, eager to tug at the string she’d found. “You know the sort of stuff Dezel and I do, right?”

“I think so…?”

“Like hand holding and kissing and--”

“--rolling around in be--” Zaveid stopped short, his eyes growing comically wide as Rose shot him an irritated look and drew a finger across her neck. She might not have been a _violent_ person, but Zaveid had learned more than once Rose knew exactly how to extract her own vengeance without breaking a single rule. Or bone. A truly terrifying lady when she wanted to be. “--hugs. You know, just… scooping ‘em up and… hugging the hell out of each other.”

“...nice save.” Rose rolled her eyes and turned back to Sorey, who looked to be taking their suggestions quite seriously.

“I like hugging Mikleo a lot,” he admitted, a small pout following it. “But I don’t get to do it as often as I used to. Or hold his hand…”

“Buuut… you would if you could?”

“If he didn’t mind.”

“What about kissing?”

“Kissing?” Sorey’s cheeks coloured as he wiggled around in his chair and tried to picture it. Mikleo _was_ a very pretty person, and being able to look at him up-close was even nicer than being far away. If he was closer he could see all the eyelashes -- long and just slightly curled -- that only brought out the vibrant colour of his eyes. But if he was looking at Mikleo’s _eyes_ , it would be a waste not to look at his cheeks and nose -- they were so creamy and symmetrical and soft to the touch. Though focusing on Mikleo’s nose meant it was just a short drop to reach his mouth. The smooth, slender lips that said such interesting things. If Sorey was _really_ honest with himself, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d imagined leaning just a little closer to see what it would be like to touch them with his own. Then they could hug and press their foreheads together and--

“Heeeey! Earth to Sorey! Are you still with us?” Jerked out of his daze, Sorey nearly jumped as Rose’s hand came into focus just short of his nose, waving frantically. “Geez, you what the heck were you fantasizing about over there?”

“What? I, um, I mean, it’s not that I _don’t_ want to kiss him. I guess that would actually be kinda nice, but I don’t know if he--”

“Oho!” Zaveid grinned, sliding several inches back across the bench with such vigor he nearly sent Rose tumbling off the end. “Now we’re getting somewhere!”

“We are?”

“Look, Sorey, buddy,” Zaveid’s grin only grew in size and Sorey felt himself unconsciously leaning back as Zaveid loomed over the table, “there’s one easy way to see if Mikleo feels the same way. First, there’s this shop down the street that sells all sorts of--”

“Don’t even start. You’re not talking Sorey into the same weird stuff you tried to get Dezel to do.” Rose huffed and crossed her arms. “Don’t listen to this guy, seriously. All you have to do is take him out to a movie or something. I’d say dinner, but that seems kinda pointless when you already do it every night.”

“A movie?”

“Yeah, movies are easy first dates. There’s no pressure for anything and it’s even dark so if you make a weird face, they don’t even notice!” Something in Rose’s tone made Sorey think that she had more than a little experience in all of this, but pointing out that Dezel couldn’t see _any_ of the faces he made would be pointless. For someone who couldn’t actually see, Dezel seemed to notice more than all of them combined.

“He has been talking about one that came out this month he’s wanted to see. But Student Council has kept him so busy…”

“Then that makes it easy! Get your phone--wait, nevermind. Just use mine. It’s already out and I’ve got an app. See if it’s playing tonight.” Rose thrust her phone, already boasting the local cinema’s logo on its screen, forward and tapped her toes against the ground as she waited for Sorey to navigate slowly through the menu to find the title he was looking for.

“There’s another showing in about an hour--”

“Great! Now pull out that wallet and order two. You can get tickets for snacks too and save yourself the trouble of a line. What does he like? Popcorn? Soda?”

The only answers Sorey seemed to be able to get in edgewise were simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers as she guided him enthusiastically through the various purchasing options before finally a confirmation number appeared on the screen.

“Now I’ll just send you a screenshot and you’ll be good to go.”

“O-oh.” Sorey nodded, his eyes wide and uncertain as he felt his phone vibrate in his closet. He’d only expected to hold a short conversation with both of them before they took off for the evening. Somehow, a simple hello had ended in what was, hopefully, a date. “Thank you… I think.”

“It’s no problem. Just promise you’ll _ask_ him. Watching you two dance around each other is starting to drive all of us crazy.”

“But we haven’t--”

“Sure you haven’t. Whatever helps you sleep at night. But we gotta get going. Dezel is going to get grumpy if we’re late. Good luck!”

As quickly as they’d come, they were sprinting for the doors and gone, leaving a flabbergasted Sorey behind.

“What was that about?”

Jumping, Sorey swiveled around in his seat and beamed. “Mikleo! The meeting is done?”

“Yeah…” Mikleo sighed and reached for the back of his head, tugging his hair out of its sagging ponytail. “It was longer than we thought it would be, but we managed to get everything done so the weekend would be free.”

“That’s good.” Sorey hummed and stood up, sliding his folder back into his back. “So… you don’t have any plans?”

“No,” Mikleo frowned, raising an eyebrow. “You would know.”

“Oh, r-right.” Sorey smiled and fumbled with his phone as he drew it out of his pocket. It suddenly felt as if he were trying to handle wet soap and nearly dropped the device twice before he’d finally managed to hold a steady enough grip to shift through his messages. “Then… maybe we could do something?”

“...Something.” Mikleo repeated, eyeing Sorey wearily as he tied his hair back up. “I thought we were going to dinner.”

“What--oh! Right! We still can, I was just thinking--I watched a trailer for that movie you’ve been talking about and it sounded really interesting, so…”

 _“So…?”_ From the look on Mikleo’s face, Sorey could tell that Mikleo was as confused as Sorey was nervous. Rose had seemed so certain that this would go well. Maybe it was just best to take a page from her book and ‘just do it.’

“So... I was wondering if maybe…” The words he’d _thought_ he prepared to seemed to vanish. A question shouldn’t have been so difficult to ask, it was just a movie, but he was asking _Mikleo_. It wasn’t the same as asking Rose or anyone else he could think of. With Mikleo, the chance that he could have said ‘no’ was terrifying and the butterflies in his stomach swarmed in response. “I was wondering if you’d go to the movie with me. I got us tickets for the next show. There’s still time to return them, but… I’d really like to go. With you. And then... we could get dinner after?”

* * *

Author's notes here because of that weird Chapter 1 Note Glitch. (Has that been fixed yet?)

If you think I set this AU at University for the singular purpose of giving Mikleo his long, luscious hair… then you are abso-frigging-right. Fight me.

Also, to clarify, this will be the only chapter following Sorey's side of the story. Mostly because it would be really difficult to set up the premise without and it wouldn't be  _nearly_ as funny if we didn't get to see Mikleo suffering.

  
~~I was also vaguely self-indulgent with two other ships I like. Whoops.~~

 


	2. Chapter 2

****_“I was wondering if you’d go to the movie with me. I got us tickets for the next show. There’s still time to return them, but… I’d really like to go. With you. And then... we could get dinner after?”_

After having seen Rose and Zaveid sprinting out the doors the moment he’d come downstairs, Mikleo almost thought he should have been waiting for a punchline. It wouldn’t have been the first time they’d tried to use Sorey’s naive nature for one of their pranks, but Sorey was nothing if not honest, and it was easy to tell he meant what he was saying. Even if he was acting weird about it, but there was no reason to be so worked up over a movie.

...Was there?

Heat began to pool in Mikleo’s stomach as his heart fluttered and seemed to lodge itself into his throat. There was really only one reason _most_ would get flustered over the simple concept of a movie, but this was _Sorey_. His best friend since diapers; whom he’d shared everything with, from toys to books to trouble. Who was as much apart of him as his own limbs; so deeply a part of his life that his presence was as natural as they air they breathed. Sorey who, for as observant as he could be about ruins and texts, completely missed the mark when it came to how people felt about him.

“A movie… and dinner?” Mikleo repeated and watched as Sorey began to fidget, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“Well, yeah! You wanted to see it, right?”

“I did.” He nodded once and started to feel his all too brief elation start to fade. It was perfectly normal for Sorey to get overexcited and end up flustered, especially when he was presenting a gift. Surely that’s all this was meant to be -- an attempt to help him relax after a busy week.

“Then…?”

“Alright.”

“Alright?”

“You’ve already bought tickets; it would be a waste not to go.” Mikleo shrugged and adjusted his bag as he moved toward the door. “I think you’ll like it as well.”

“Really?!” Sorey beamed and scrambled after Mikleo, a bounce to his step. “That’s great…!”

Whatever it was that had caused Sorey to be so flighty seemed to fade by the time they’d left the campus grounds after dropping off their bags. Having Sorey back to his normal self worked wonders for easing Mikleo’s nerves, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. From the way Sorey was holding himself to the way he kept looking at Mikleo whenever he asked for his input, everything about him seemed to be just a little more enthusiastic than before. None of the theories Mikleo could come up with seemed to fit any realistic reasoning for why on earth Sorey would be this excited over a cinema trip.

As far as Mikleo had known, Sorey hadn’t even known about the movie. He’d heard about it from one of his professors in one of the (two) classes they didn’t share together on a weekly basis. The premise, while odd, had been intriguing enough to hold his attention, but he didn’t remember mentioning it more than twice -- and only once to Sorey directly. Had he really mentioned it so often Sorey would go out of his way to buy them tickets? He knew that Sorey did, admittedly, have a good memory, and there had been numerous times Mikleo had been pleasantly surprised when Sorey was able to recall something he’d mentioned only in passing. Though dinner and a movie seemed a bit of a stretch for remembering a title -- maybe he really was just trying to help him after all the council meetings.

“...Mikleo?”

“Huh?” Mikleo blinked, stunned as he came back to himself and saw a perplexed cashier and a concerned Sorey staring at him.

“I asked if you wanted extra butter on the popcorn.”

“Oh… Yeah,” he nodded and tried to look composed. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Salt?”

“Light.”

“Got it. Oh, and lots of ice in the soda, please.” Sorey smiled brightly and the cashier responded in kind, seemingly just as susceptible to his sunshine personality as everyone else.

“I didn’t know you liked ice that much,” Mikleo commented idly and leaned against the counter. Sorey shrugged in turn, resting his arms against the glass candy display. His mouth quirked into a small smile that danced in his eyes, as if he’d found amusement in something Mikleo couldn’t see.

“I don’t care either way, really. But you like it cold, don’t you?”

Mikleo barely had the chance to form a response before Sorey had turned back to gather their snacks in his arms. It was stupid, he told himself, to be worked up over small gestures. This, he was certain, was not a date. This was Sorey being, well, _Sorey._ No extra motives, subtle intentions. It was Sorey trying to have a good time with his best friend and remembering details that anyone could. Probably.

Following Sorey to their seats, Mikleo felt like he’d fallen into a daze. He could never recall a time he’d disliked spending time with Sorey or had wanted to avoid him. The worst fight they’d ever had was in high school, and even that hadn’t lasted a full day. What had been a loud feud in the morning had settled back into their playful pokes and jabs at one another before the final bell, and for nearly a month rumours had circulated amongst the students that the entire fiasco had been staged. Rose had even had a betting pool going, much to Mikleo’s disdain.

“The middle is open.” Sorey grinned and pointed to a small section of seats near the middle of the theatre. “Where you can put your feet up on the pole?”

“I thought you liked the back.” Mikelo smirked, adjusting his voice was he spread one of his arms out comically. “' _But Mikleo, you get the full experience back there. It’s like two movies in one because you can watch everyone else too.’_ Not at all creepy.”

“H-hey…! It’s _true!_ It’s fun seeing other people enjoy themselves…”

“Usually that doesn’t involve a dark room.” Mikleo’s smile grew as Sorey’s lips pursed with a pout and he gave his shoulder a small push toward the seats. Being shorter, the middle row where the two main sections of seating were split by a raised platform and railing that ran along the illuminated walkway made it much easier to see. It was rare that Sorey’s enthusiasm had ever kept him from the top of the cinema. To not have to worry about awkwardly peering over fall heads was a welcome relief.

As they slipped into their seats, Sorey pushed the armrest barrier between them up and scooted sideways until his leg bumped Mikleo’s. It was like he’d set Mikleo’s nerves into overdrive and he was suddenly hyper aware of how _close_ Sorey was pressed to him.

“What--”

“This way we won’t make a mess,” Sorey proclaimed and balanced the popcorn bucket atop both their knees. The soda, ever true to Sorey’s last-for-himself nature, was placed in the cupholder on Mikleo’s other side. It didn’t strike him as a problem until he realised that it mean Sorey would need to lean over him whenever he needed a drink, and he silently cursed himself for having ever taken Sorey’s invitation the wrong way. This _was not_ a date. But the thought that it _could_ have been was enough to make Mikleo’s heart beat just a little faster.

He really needed to get better control of himself. Sorey was, first and foremost, his best friend. No matter how he felt, no movie was ever going to change that, and he’d sooner submit himself to whatever torment Edna could think of for the rest of his life than risk making Sorey feel guilty over a misunderstanding.

“Just don’t jump if it gets scary.”

“Me?” Sorey snorted and dug his hand into the bucket. “What about you?”

“I don’t get scared by _movies_.”

“Nope,” Sorey’s head bobbed up and down in agreement as he settled against the back of his chair when the lights dimmed. “Just haunted houses.”

“T-that was _one time!”_ Mikleo hissed, swatting Sorey’s hand away from the popcorn in protest. “And Rose was worse!”

“Maybe, but you did hold my arm pretty tightly the whole time--”

“It was dark!”

“If you say so,” Sorey hummed, amusement dancing in his eyes, but he didn’t press further as the bright music of the first preview filled the theatre.

* * *

Just under two hours later, they’d barely made it out of the showing room before they’d already fallen into a heated discussion.

“For a movie produced in Lastonbell, it did hold true enough to historical accuracies.” Or at least, the concepts behind them. For as much as his professor had praised it, Mikleo was expecting something a little more educational. Some of the more intricate details of the lore behind the myth the film had appeared to be based on were forgone in favour of entertainment. Not that he could complain, persay, it _was_ a movie, and one that had been praised as a ‘mythological adventure’ at that. “But I don’t think the mural they found in the underground exists at all. It looked completely fabricated. The colours and textures of the material were all wrong.”

“Well, yeah, it’s a movie. They have to take some sort of artistic liberty with it. Besides, I was pretty impressed with how detailed it all was”

“The details were nice, sure, but they were almost _too_ detailed for the tools they would have had in that era. The shapes were way too rounded and accurate.”

“Aw, Mikleo, be nice. It _did_ come from a city of artisans. I’m sure they just wanted it to look really good.”

“And?” Mikleo’s crossed his arms, frowning. “History is plenty artistic -- even if it didn’t always have the best details. They could have used an existing mural or carving or… anything, really. There’s plenty of statues and works of art all over the world that have lost most stories behind their origins.”

“I don’t know that making it all up would necessarily help… I think people would end up debating everything anyway. Using something we don’t know everything about would just make it harder to prove either way.”

“Yes, well…”

Sorey laughed and grinned as he grasped Mikleo’s shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. “I don’t think it’s worth getting too worked up over. The movie was great. Let’s save our protests for the documentaries that get lazy.”

“...you mean like that sorry excuse for a history on the architecture of the Shrinechurch in Pendrago?”

“H-hey, it was _supposed_ to be a good one! The reviews were great.”

“Did you even read them?” Mikleo snorted. “The only reason it had the five-star rating was because people thought it was supposed to be a joke. It had more conspiracy theories than fact.”

“But some of them were really interesting!”

“Interesting? Sorey, they were convinced that one of the leading cardinals turned into a _serpent_ that could turn people to stone just be looking at them.”

“But don’t you remember those statues they found in one of the back rooms? They looked like knights, right? And all those people who went missing around the same time. At least it made sense.”

“Maybe, but a grouping of knight statues doesn’t help when they were all in masks. It was probably something the church had made but never used. If a creature like really existed, I don’t think it would stay confined to the Shrinechurch. There would have been a lot more unexplained statues.”

“Like in the movie?” Sorey grinned, “That creature guarding the room in the ruins--”

“The snake-woman with _snakes_ for hair?”

“Yeah! Remember all those knights she turned to stone? That’s just like in the theory! Except for the captain, he didn’t have a mask--”

“That was just for dramatic effect because he was the hero’s friend. It was just as somber without a face to go with it. Killing him off was totally pointless.”

“It was part of his motivation?”

“Then they should have stoned his _best_ friend.”

“What? No way! They couldn’t have come together at the end like they did if he was turned to stone!”

“...I didn’t think you were that much of a romantic.”

“W-well,” Sorey flushed, coughing. “They were pretty cute. The friend kind of reminded me of you--”

“W-what? I am _not_ that uptight. Besides, _you_ were more like the hero. You’re both so carefree and reckless.”

“Hey!”

“In any case… The serpent woman might have been impressive, but a snake in a ruin that was practically underwater makes no sense. She wouldn’t have survived very long.”

“It makes just about as much sense as someone being turned into a serpent from negative feelings and energy. Besides, maybe that theory had some truth to it! If the movie is using it too, then--”

“--then I think you’re jumping to conclusions. If they were going to use it, they should have just had the hero and his friends fight her in the church in the first place. That’s the problem with conspiracy theories. They end up mixing a bunch of stories and facts that didn’t really go together at all.”

Sorey’s lips pursed again, forming a pout that was, much to Mikleo’s horror, kiss-worthy. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d been distracted by _something_ Sorey had done, and certainly not the first time he’d imagined kissing him. No, one too many embarrassing dreams -- ones he would never dream of telling _anyone_ about -- had successfully crushed any hopes at all of stopping his then budding feelings.

Today _really_ wasn’t helping his ability to hide them.

“You’re mean… Ruining all the fun.” Sorey mumbled when his pout didn’t get Mikleo to cave as quickly as he’d hoped and turned away with a sigh.

“You’re ridiculous,” Mikleo sighed and shook his head. For as much as they studied history and fact, Sorey could get just as excited about stories and even the most outlandish theories. Though it was, perhaps, one of his more charming points. Truth or fiction, Sorey was always ready to analyze whatever he was given and dive in deep. “So, what did you have planned for dinner, Mr. Theorist?”

“Um, well, honestly…” Sorey trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck with a hand, sheepish. “I didn’t… really plan that far. I just sort of bought the tickets without thinking and…”

“You just can’t go a day without doing something impulsive, can you?”

“I can so!”

“Uh-huh…” Mikleo smirked, his expression smug as he motioned to a sidewalk branching to their left. “I’ll believe it when I see it. But it’s getting late; the cafeteria is probably closed, but that sandwich shop should still be open.”

“The one Zaveid told us about?”

“Mm,” Mikleo hummed in response and started down the path. “It’s supposed to be open until the early morning and it’s close enough that we won’t have to worry about staying out too late.”

“Oh… right. That’s probably for the best.” Sorey’s shoulders sagged, and for a moment, Mikleo was worried he’d somehow suggested something upsetting, but moment was gone as soon as it had started. Before he could get out so much as a word, Sorey had grasped his hand enthusiastically and started tugging him forward.

Soon, their conversation had fallen into the bizarre, but at least somewhat comfortable topic of sandwiches and what they hoped to find at the restaurant Zaveid had insisted was ‘the shit.’

* * *

“I guess Zaveid was right after all.” It wasn’t a sentence either of them had ever imagined themselves saying, and putting it to words, Mikleo wondered if he’d somehow fallen asleep back at the cinema. “It was good.”

“Wasn’t it?” Sorey grinned and grabbed the door to the lobby of their dorm, holding it open for Mikleo to step inside. “I was kinda surprised. I didn’t think a sandwich was all that complicated, but they make it look like an art.”

“Just don’t let him hear you saying any of that,” Mikleo warned and slipped his hands into his pocket, intent on getting his keys. “The last thing he needs is an ego trip over _anything_.”

“I’m sure Edna would help us out if he got too excited.”

“...better him than me.” Mikleo shuddered, turning his key in the lock. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d been at the mercy of Edna’s jokes or narrowly avoiding thrusts from her umbrella. It felt like she lived to torment others, and somehow he’d gotten the unlucky title of being her favourite target. A title he would gladly pass off to _anyone_ else.

“Aw, come on,” Sorey laughed softly as they entered their shared dormsuite. “She only teases you because she likes you so much.”

“...I’d prefer she didn’t like me at all if it meant I could stop being at the receiving end of her umbrella.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

“...hmph.”

With a sigh, Mikleo deposited his jacket on one of the hooks near the door and stretched. It was getting late and he still had a few assignments to finish, but he couldn’t regret the lost time. Even if he _had_ been acting weird, it was nice to have his best friend to himself again for just a little while.

“Hey… uh, Mikleo?”

Mikleo paused mid-turn to his room and looked back to see Sorey with the same flighty and nervous expression he’d had back in the Student Union. He could only watch with silent concern as Sorey wrung his hands together and worked out whatever it was he wanted to say in his mind.

“Are you alright?”

“W-what? Oh! Yeah, I’m fine, I just…” Sorey hesitated again and moved closer, looking at Mikleo as if he expected to suddenly be scolded for something. “Did you have fun tonight?”

“...huh?” It wasn’t what he’d been expecting at all, but something about the way Sorey was holding himself just seemed off. It had, admittedly, been a while since they’d had time alone together. Between homework and student council, meals were some of the only times he’d gotten alone with Sorey all month.

“...did you?” Sorey asked again, his voice softer than before, and Mikleo felt something in his chest tighten. Whatever worries Sorey was having, they were clearly weighing him down, and the thought that he’d be so worked up over this only made Mikleo feel guilty. Sure, he’d had his complaints about the movie, but it hadn’t meant he wasn’t enjoying himself. If Sorey had somehow taken that negativity in the wrong way… he didn’t like that. Not in the slightest.

“I had a great time,” Mikleo assured, offering Sorey a smile that seemed to brighten his mood immediately. “The movie was fun and the food was surprisingly good.”

“Really?”

“Why would I lie about something like that?” Mikleo huffed, “You’d know if I wasn’t happy.”

“T-that’s awesome!” Sorey beamed, and Mikleo felt his heart leap. “That’s really--I’m glad!”

“What--” Not able to get his thoughts out quick enough, Mikleo suddenly felt himself wrapped tightly in Sorey’s arms in a warm, almost crushing hug. Heat coloured his cheeks as Sorey pulled away, holding him by the shoulders as his smile seemed to only grow.

“You have no idea how awesome that is but--oh, I guess you still have homework, right? I’ll leave you to get that done. I should go look over mine too.” He was practically _bouncing_ back to his door the entire way, and he turned to give Mikleo an enthusiastic wave as he opened it before slipping inside. “Goodnight, Mikleo! Let’s get breakfast tomorrow, okay?”

“O-okay?” Mikleo choked out, still rooted to the spot, stunned, as Sorey disappeared inside his room. The dull thud of the door shutting broke Mikleo out of his trance, but he could only shake his head as he turned away and slipped into his own room with a sigh. Sorey was, and always had been, such a strange person.

For now, at least, he had breakfast to look forward to, and the hope that, maybe, things might go back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess the movie makers didn’t actually play the game. They never do. ~~I’m looking at YOU Uwe Boll.~~ (So in short the inconsistencies with the game were on purpose. I promise I’ve actually played.)
> 
> This chapter was fun to write though; the banter between these two is always as entertaining to write as it is to read. I don’t know that I’ll be able to push out a chapter a day every week (or if this will even go on for seven chapters) but I’m grateful for everyone along for the ride.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so weird to be writing a story that's not angst-based. Or heartbreaking. But that aside, I wanted to take this moment to thank everyone for their support, kudos, and hits. 
> 
> I'm so glad to be writing for these two again, and SorMik Week has been one of the best highlights of the entire year for me.
> 
> ~~In which Sorey is the best boyfriend and Mikleo still doesn't realise it yet.~~

****Mikleo was in hell. Somewhere between classes and Student Council meetings, he had died, gone to hell, and the Devil himself had appeared to personally torment him, masquerading behind the smiling face of Sorey.

The morning following the night they’d gone to the cinema was innocent enough. Sorey had, as always, waited for him to come out of his room, dressed and ready for the morning. A sweet aroma had filled the main room of their shared dorm, but before Mikleo could investigate or inquire as to what it was, Sorey had hurried over to him with a dazzling smile and two travel mugs clutched in his hands as his messenger bag bounced off his thigh. Inside, a wonderfully warm and delicious café vanilla with just enough sugar and creamer awaited him, ready to eliminate the dregs of sleep that still clung to his mind.

It was a new gesture, one Mikleo was generally accustomed to taking care of for himself. For all his talents, Sorey’s unfortunately did not extend to the kitchen beyond a handful of recipes, but Mikleo was more than willing to accommodate for the lack in talent. Sorey’s reactions and gleeful boasts that Mikleo was the ‘best cook in the world’ be it a failure or a success of a dish were more than enough payment no matter how long he spent pouring over a meal.

It wasn’t until they’d settled down to eat breakfast in the cafeteria -- a much faster choice before classes -- that his hopes for ‘normalcy’ were completely shattered.

“Hey, Mikleo,” Sorey smiled as he dropped into the seat beside Mikleo, rather than across the table, and continued to scoot closer until their shoulders were brushing. “Try this!”

Taken aback by the sudden lack of space between them, Mikleo opened his mouth to respond, only to have his words cut off by half a strawberry. His conscious effort to keep from making a face fell short; Sorey’s amusement was already evident on his face.

“They’re really juicy and sweet today.” Sorey commented, humming in contentment as he popped another into his mouth. “I don’t think I’ve ever managed to get them this fresh before.”

“That’s because you usually mooch off _my_ breakfast.”

“Only because you make so much of it!” Sorey protested, and Mikleo can only be thankful Sorey _is_ as oblivious as he is. A handful of incidents where half his breakfast had been lost to Sorey’s puppy-dog-eyes had lead to Mikleo ‘accidentally’ making just a little too much for himself to eat alone almost every morning. If Sorey had caught on, he never said anything, and Mikleo was grateful for it. “I just don’t want to see your cooking go to waste.”

“I’m sure,” Mikleo rolled his eyes in response and poke at his own plate with a fork. “Waste not, want not. Seems a perfect excuse for someone with a black hole for a stomach.”

“I’m not _that_ bad…” Sorey frowned, and leaned his shoulder against Mikleo’s as he resumed his breakfast with a mock pout. A pout that, Mikleo was now more than certain, was a very dangerous weapon indeed. He could only pray Sorey remained as oblivious to its power as he did most other things that seemed to involve Mikleo’s affections.

“No,” Mikleo hummed, “you’re worse.”

His only response was another strawberry pushed playfully into his mouth.

* * *

It didn’t stop with breakfast. No, whatever had suddenly taken over Sorey’s newfound and bizarre habits only seemed to grow as the days passed by.

“I’ve got it.” Mikleo’s fingers had barely brushed the straps of his bag before it was scooped up and tugged out of his reach and slung around Sorey’s shoulder. It wasn’t the first time Mikleo had been denied the chance to carry his own bag, and sweet though the gesture was, he couldn’t find a purpose behind it. “Rose asked if I wanted meet up with her and Dezel for lunch. Want to go together?”

“Lunch?” Mikleo glanced at the clock, counting the minutes he had until his next class. Mondays and Wednesdays, while his shortest, were also the days he had the _least_ amount of courses with Sorey. Two afternoon classes apart were the payment to enjoy a morning class together and a two-hour break period for lunch. “Where?”

“Well… Rose and I were _really_ in the mood for some mabo curry buns, so we thought--”

“I should have known.” Curry buns were the go-to meal for Rose and Sorey, and if ever given the choice, one could be certain that be their first choice. It had become a running joke amongst their wayward group of friends that, before the year was out, both of them would turn into into a bun themselves. A joke that had, last year, prompted them both to dress up as curry buns for Halloween. And though Mikleo would never admit it, it had been an adorable sight to behold. “Both of you could single-handedly fund the Student Cafe with as often as you go.”

“We don’t go _that_ often! And besides, they’re _really_ good!”

“To you two maybe,” Mikleo joked and relished in the fake pout that followed. “The rest of us like a variety for our pallet.”

“I’m sure Edna would be happy to hear you say that.” Sorey grinned in response as Mikleo make a face of distaste and slipped out of the classroom.

The moment they’d passed the bulk of the hallway crowd, Sorey fell in step beside Mikleo and he swore Sorey was doing this to him on purpose. Every other step they took was accomplished by the brush of their hands or a bump of shoulders, and for every touch, Mikleo felt his chest growing tighter and his pulse thrumming just a little faster. It had been like this for what was going on a week, and it was a small miracle hadn’t felt himself snap yet.

“I’d rather she never heard,” Mikleo sighed and unconsciously rubbed the side that had suffered the blunt end of her umbrella far too many times. “She makes up enough reasons to make fun of me. I don’t need her to think she has ‘valid’ ones.”

“Ahaha, I think you’re being a little harsh. She doesn’t tease anyone she doesn’t really like.”

“If that’s supposed to be a comfort--” Mikleo frowned and started to pull away, only to be caught by a hand around his waist. “What--” A swift tug brought him closer to Sorey’s side just as a door opened to his right and narrowly missed his shoulder.

“O-oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to--”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sorey grinned and gave Mikleo another soft tug, causing their shoulders to bump and Mikleo’s face to take on a healthy hue of red. “No one was hurt, right?”

“You missed me,” Mikleo added, watching as the girl’s shoulders slumped and she nodded once in relief.

“Are you going inside?” she asked, pushing the door open a little further and moving to the side.

“We are, actually, thanks!”

“Y-you’re welcome,” she sputtered, her own cheeks flushing a red to match Mikleo’s and he could only nod weakly in thanks. He could understand her reaction to say the least; there were few things in the world brighter than Sorey’s smile. The sun, for example, was the only legitimate example he could think of.

“I think you scared her.”

“What? I did not!”

“She ran off pretty fast for someone who wasn’t afraid.”

“That doesn’t mean _I_ scared her. I’d want to run too if I nearly hit the Student Council president with a door.”

“You _have_ hit the Student Council president with a door.”

“...I meant if he wasn’t you. I know _you_ won’t do anything _too_ mean.”

“I’m not mean, I’m f--”

“Auuuuugh! There you two are!” Rose’s shout made both of them jump as they looked up in time to see Rose waving her arms impatiently from a table in the corner. “Flirt _later_. Just get over here and sit down so we can order!”

For the second time in only a few minutes, Mikleo felt his face burn with colour as Sorey laughed sheepishly and apologised for their tardiness. The fact that he didn’t even _try_ to protest burned itself into Mikleo’s mind, and had he not been focusing on trying to force away the blush before Rose noticed, he might have tried himself.

They weren’t flirting. They weren’t like that. No matter how much Mikleo might _want_ them to be. Sorey was just _weird_ lately. Weird, or maybe their lack of alone time had simply gotten to him and he was lonely. And a lonely Sorey, Mikleo decided, was terribly dangerous for his sanity.

“Geez, what took you so long? Isn’t your class in the building next door?” Rose’s stomach growled, as if to bring attention to her point. “Were you two making out in the bathroom or something?”

“H-huh?” Sorey choked as he reached for the glass of water that was already waiting for him on the table. “No! We were just--”

“Don’t be crass,” Mikleo cut in, frowning. “Even Sorey has enough tact not to do something like that.”

“Exactly, I--hey! What do you mean _enough?_ ”

“Waiter.” Dezel’s low tone stalled the conversation before Mikleo could respond, and they all looked up in time to see a bright-eyed first-year all but skipping over to their table.

“Good afternoon, everyone. Can I take your order, or do you need a few more--”

“Curry buns!” Rose responded before the waiter could even finish. “I’ll take two mabo curry buns. And fries. A _huuuge_ side of fries. Oh! Make ‘em cheese fries -- and the grumpy guy next to me wants the beef bourgons.”

“Beef bourguignon.” Dezel corrected before the wait staff could ask, followed by several very specific instructions the waiter wrote down as quickly as possible with a weary expression.

“I’ll have the mabo curry bun meal, please. And Mikleo--”

“Cashew chicken,” closing his menu, Mikleo picked the others up and offered the neat stack to the waiter. “White rice thank you.”

“Of course. I’ll have it out as soon as I can.” The waiter hesitated, then cast Dezel a weak smile, “To order and perfection.”

“Hmph… Don’t tell me. Tell the chef to get it right.”

“O-of course. Please excuse me.”

“Sheesh…” Rose shook her head and slumped across the table, “I almost thought you were going to bite the poor guy. They are just students, Dez. You can’t expect them to always get it right.”

“If they want to follow a culinary career, they’re going to have to face people much worse than me. I’ll get over it as long as they don’t screw up too badly. Mess up with the wrong employer and they’ll be out before they can clean the stove.”

“...I think you’re just picky,” Rose snorted and turned her head, bringing her focus to Sorey and Mikleo. There was a dangerous gleam to her eyes, one that almost always meant she was scheming _something_. “Sooo… how was the movie?”

“It was great!” Sorey exclaimed, making several people across the restaurant turn at the second burst of volume from the corner table. “The sets were incredible and the story was actually pretty good--”

“--even if it was inaccurate.”

“Aw, but Mikleo, we already went over that--”

“Artistic liberties or not, it didn’t follow history as closely as they could have.”

“Maybe, but--”

“Blahblahblah -- I don’t care if they had a TV in the stone age. I just wanted to know if it was good. I don’t want a history lesson on my break. I’m came here to _eat_ and _relax._ ”

“I don’t think you ever want history lessons, Rose,” Sorey commented brightly, and Mikleo laughed lightly in response, an act that only seemed to elevate Sorey’s mood even more.

“That’s because it’s _boring_ , _”_ she rolled her eyes, waving a hand around haphazardly, “a dead guy did something with another dead guy, they went on an epic adventure, discovered something, and they had a lot of fun. Great. That doesn’t help me sell stuff any faster.”

“Well, actually--”

“Uuuuugh. Dezel, help me out here.”

“You asked them about the movie,” he shrugged and crossed his arms. “You knew what you were getting into.”

“...traitor…”

“It’s not worth the effort, Sorey,” Mikleo hummed and ran his finger over the condensation on his glass, absently working out elegant lines. “You can’t soak up water with a wet sponge, after all.”

“HEY! Dezel! Are you going to let him make fun of me like that?”

“You’re a cute sponge, I’m sure.”

“Gee, thanks,” Rose groaned and slumped sideways, falling nearly against Dezel’s side and under the arm he’d raised in anticipation of her movement. “My dignity has been saved. My hero.”

“It doesn’t need to be,” Dezel dropped his arm and wrapped it around Rose’s shoulders. “You’re terrible with history. It’s a fact--”

“You’re _really_ not winning any points here, bucko.”

“--but you’re also the best saleswoman on the continent. Stick to what you know and what you want to do. Don’t waste time with something irrelevant.”

“...I’ll take it. Points won.”

“Heh… Watching them is a lot of fun, isn’t it?” Sorey said in a low, almost whispered tone as he leaned into Mikleo’s shoulder. His hand trailed across his leg, briefly travelling down Mikleo’s thigh until he found his hand on the bench and laced their pinkies together.

“...they’re something else, that’s for sure.”

“You know we can hear you two, right?” Rose huffed, lazily twirling her wet straw between her fingers and sending droplets all over the table and -- if his subtle jaw twitch was anything to go by -- Dezel’s cheek.

“It’s a compliment, really!” Sorey nodded in earnest, trying to emphasis his point. “We just think you’re both really cute.”

“Hmph, nice save.”

“Well, we _are_ pretty cute,” Rose agreed with a wide grin and nod, “but we’re nowhere _near_ as sappy or sickeningly sweet as y--”

“Order up!”

“Woohoo! Finally!”

Whatever Rose had been intending to say was forgotten as soon as her plate hit the table. Something in Mikleo’s stomach twisted in response, and he almost didn’t notice his own meal being placed in front of him -- or that everyone else had started to eat. Sorey’s hand was still pressed closely to his, with their little fingers wrapped tightly together in a gesture they had done almost unconsciously as children, but had faded with time. The simple touch was doing things to Mikleo’s mind that he didn’t know _how_ to process. Try as he might to distract himself with food, Sorey’s hand never left during the entire meal. By the time they’d left, he had simply graduated to holding Mikleo’s entire hand as they walked out the door, and didn’t let go until they’d arrived outside Mikleo’s next lecture hall.

“I’ll see you after class?” Sorey asked, slipping Mikleo’s bag off his shoulder and back into its rightful owner’s hand.

“I… yeah. In three hours.”

“I’ll come get you,” Sorey grinned and Mikleo swore the hallway under the dim lights brightened exponentially. “So wait for me outside the room, okay?”

Mikleo nodded, not trusting his voice as his throat grew tight and his head light. He smile must have been convincing enough, because Sorey left without further prompting, and Mikleo was grateful for it. He didn’t know _what_ he could have said to try and explain himself. Sorey didn’t need to worry about _him_ having a hard time reading into something that meant nothing, and floundering over it would have just been stressful for both of them.

Instead, he swallowed down his feelings and confusion and disappeared into the classroom. The front row was, as always, almost completely empty, but instead of taking one of his favoured seats near the board, he slipped into one of dark rows under the broken ceiling light. He didn’t think he had it in him to answer questions that hour, and somehow, he already knew that his hopes of being distracted by lessons would be in vain.

* * *

He didn’t even make it halfway through the lesson.

Three bullet-points into the lecture, the topic had shifted to the same subject matter the movie had addressed. It was to be expected -- especially with how enthusiastically he had encouraged everyone to see it before the month’s end -- but it wasn’t the _movie_ Mikleo had thought about. He was too busy remembering Sorey. Sorey’s hands brushing his whenever he dipped into the bucket for popcorn. The smell of butter on Sorey’s breath when he’d lean over for a sip of soda. Or the way Sorey would tap his leg in excitement whenever they saw a relic -- or a close representation of one -- they’d studied before. How the screen had illuminated Sorey’s emerald eyes and dazzling smile for almost every single scene--

When he looked down at his paper and realised he’d written, not notes, but Sorey’s name several times, Mikleo knew he needed to leave.

Paying no mind to the handful of nearby stares he received as he haphazardly shoved his belongings into his bag, Mikleo was forced to use all his self-control to keep from sprinting out of the room. Whether or not his professor noticed, he didn’t know, but he resolved to send an apology e-mail once he managed to get his thoughts back in order. Being absent was a common thing with him; claiming illness would have been easy enough.

By the time he had reached his dorm room, Mikleo’s mind was lost in a frustrating mess of thoughts he couldn’t pull himself out of. Without looking, he tossed his belongings into the bedroom and fumbled his way into the bathroom. His clothes were clumsily deposited on the floor as he turned the water on as hot as he could stand and climbed inside.

He absolutely hated this -- and for that moment, he hated himself. He felt no better than a dog chasing after a piece of meat. Sorey was, first and foremost, his _friend_ . His best friend -- a fact that he was incredibly grateful for. They had been together since diapers, and through it all -- fights, adventure, loss of loved ones, celebrations, and everything in between -- they’d faced life together. It seemed natural that, at least one of them, would fall in love, and for better or worse, Mikleo knew that he wouldn’t feel like this ever again. Sorey was his one and only, be it together or watching him walk away with someone else as he stood by steadfast and supportive. But now, a simple _movie_ and Mikleo’s overactive imagination was throwing him into a typhoon with no hope of escape.

He _hated_ it, and Sorey’s suddenly affectionate and brighter-than-the-sun enthusiasm was somehow both keeping him afloat and drowning him faster.

The sound of the door banging off the wall jerked Mikleo violently out of his daze, nearly sending him to the shower floor. He shut off the water quickly and grabbed the nearest towel he could find, wrapping it around his waist as he looked around desperately for something he could use for a weapon. His fingers had barely wrapped around his hairbrush when the bathroom door burst open, and a very flushed, panting Sorey stood in the doorway.

“Mikleo!”

“S-Sorey…!?”

Arms wrapped around his waist so suddenly and so tightly Mikleo felt the air being forced from his chest. Sorey was babbling too quickly for him to understand, and the only thoughts he could properly comprehend was how _nice_ it felt in Sorey’s arms and _wow_ , soccer and workouts had _really_ worked wonders for his muscles and when on earth had Sorey started to smell so _nice?_ And… and…

And he was in a towel.

 _Just_ a towel.

Not a very thick towel at that, and if Sorey kept pulling Mikleo flush against his chest like he was, there was going to be a much bigger, much more obvious problem.

“Sorey, I…”

“--and I was so worried. You weren’t answering your phone and no one had _seen_ you. I even asked both your professors but he said you ran out early--”

_“Sorey!”_

“Huh?” Sorey pulled back, looking at Mikleo’s very damp, and very disheveled appearance. It took several long seconds that felt like an eternity to Mikleo, but he finally seemed to catch on to how _awkward_ their current situation was.

“Oh! I, um, whoops? I’m sorry, I was just really worried and--”

“It’s fine,” Mikleo cut off quickly. He needed pants and he needed them _now_ \-- preferably a shirt as well. “I’ll explain later, but I’d really like to get dressed--”

“Right.” Sorey coughed and stepped out of the way, pink. “Sorry, I really didn’t mean to burst in on you like this, but--right. I’ll… go wait in the main room?”

Nodding, Mikleo clutched his towel and quickly slipped into his room. This was truly doing _nothing_ for his sanity. Between throwing himself to the floor or throwing a pillow at Sorey’s face, he wasn’t sure when or how he’d crack first, but he was reaching his limits.

Not five minutes later had Mikleo stepping out of his room, fully clothed, and rubbing his wet hair with a towel. The brush he’d abandoned in the bathroom earlier dangled loosely in Sorey’s hands as he shuffled from foot to foot, looking hopefuly.

“Hey, Mikleo, can I…” Sorey trailed off, giving the brush a small wave. “...You have trouble when it’s wet sometimes, right?”

“...sometimes,” Mikleo replied slowly, eyeing Sorey dubiously, “but the last time I trusted you with my hair--”

“That was _years_ ago!” Sorey protested, “I was just a kid! And I’m not even using _scissors_ this time. It’s just a brush.”

Try as he might, Sorey’s pleading gaze was no match for Mikleo’s stubborn will, and with a reluctant sigh, he dropped into the chair that had already been set up for him.

“Just be careful.”

“I’m always careful.” Sorey grinned and hurried forward, gently tugging the towel from Mikleo’s hands as he gave the ends of the long, blue-dipped strands a squeeze to remove any lingering drops.

The first stroke was the worst, catching in several different knots on the way down that caused Mikleo to hiss in protest. A muttered apology followed almost immediately as Sorey readjusted his grip on the brush and tried again. His strokes were small and even, starting from the bottom and slowly working his way up and around Mikleo’s head. It was surprisingly soothing, each stroke as gentle as the last, each knot worked through with practiced care. Where he had learned this newly discovered talent, Mikleo had no idea. Sorey’s hair had always been short, and while Mikleo had grown his own out on a whim, he had never trusted Sorey to do anything with it after the _incident_ from when they were children.

Mikleo’s eyelids drooped, closing halfway as a small yawn slipped past his lips and he rubbed his eyes in protest, trying to fight off the warm, lazy fatigue that threatened to overtake him. He could vaguely register Sorey speaking to him and his own absent replies in return, but every brush left Mikleo feeling just a little more relaxed. The teeth of the brush felt nice, just barely grazing his his scalp as Sorey’s fingers split his hair into small sections that were worked through long after all the tangles had been worked away.

“You’re not half bad at this,” Mikleo mumbled, allowing his eyes to slide shut.

“Alisha and Lailah used to make me help them a lot,” Sorey replied, a hint of pride to his tone. “I guess all the practice paid off after all.”

“Mm…” Mikleo hummed and dipped his head forward as Sorey started on the underside of his hair for the third time, and allowed the soothing feeling to tug him deeper into the lulling warmth that was Sorey’s presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t think I’ve ever had Sorey succeed in actually cooking anything that wasn’t “Dark Mass” Or was it Gooey Mass? Either way, it was slightly terrifying and Mikleo remained the party’s wonderful cook who kept my bag full of all the desserts I could ever need.
> 
> Poor Mikleo… He suffers so. But more importantly, depending on how the next chapter goes, it will likely either be the last or second to last. For as much as I enjoy seeing Mikleo suffer, the plans I managed to put together for this fic weren’t ridiculously long, and it seemed as if it would work best as a (shorter) multi-chapter story.
> 
> Also, as a little note to explain the student cafe… I don’t know how common they are at other universities, but mine had one. It was really awesome and all the food there was made by the culinary students. They would have foods from all over the world and the pricing was great. I’m really sad I didn’t get to go there was often as I would have liked.
> 
> Also-Also, cashew chicken is delicious. Just sayin’.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Mikleo woke up feeling more refreshed than he had in weeks, in a bed he didn’t remember climbing into. His confusion furthered when he sat up and felt something soft slide off his shoulders and into his lap. Looking down, he brushed his fingers over thick fabric of the blanket that hung off the small loveseat in the living room. He was sitting atop his covers, slightly rumpled from where he’d rolled throughout the night.

Curious, he rolled out of bed and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders as he made his way toward the kitchen. A quick glance told him the coffee maker still had ten minutes before it’s automatic brew setting would activate; something that generally happened a good twenty minutes before his alarm.

Humming, he opened the fridge, Mikleo grabbed the eggs and butter from their shelf and quickly made his way over to the other side of the kitchenette. A plastic jar of thick, sweet hazelnut cocoa spread was pulled from the cabinet and joined the other ingredients in Mikleo’s arms before he made his way to the counter where a wrapped loaf of bread waited for him. Judging by the silence that filled the dorm, Sorey was still asleep, which meant Mikleo had ample time to make breakfast without Sorey slipping into the kitchen to try and sneak a sample -- or twelve.

The inviting aroma of warm bread and sweet strawberry chocolate had filled the dorm by the time Mikleo heard Sorey’s door open. Shuffled footsteps slowly made their way closer until he felt a head bump against his shoulder, followed by a tired yawn.

“It smells good…” Sorey hummed, raising his head to look around the kitchen with tired enthusiasm as he tried to push away the sleep still clinging to him. “Breakfast?”

The joke Mikleo had prepared about having only prepared breakfast for _himself_ today as punishment for all the teases he’d had to suffer for the day before died in his throat. Disheveled and dazed, Sorey’s tired and hopeful grin sent Mikleo’s heart into another fluttering mess. He turned away quickly with a cough and motioned to the small two-seater table they’d pushed up against a wall.. Thick, hand-rolled french toast filled with hazelnut-cocoa spread and diced strawberries and dusted with powdered sugar sat waiting at both spots with two steaming cups of coffee beside them.

A noise of delight rumbled in Sorey’s throat as Mikleo felt himself pulled toward the table by a suddenly not-so-tired Sorey who pulled his chair out and waved for Mikleo to sit down. The gentlemanly treatment was new, very new, and Mikleo could feel his uncertainties start to climb again.

“This is great, Mikleo!” Sorey grinned, the creamy spread clinging to his lips, “Did it take long to make?”

“N-no,” Mikleo coughed and looked down quickly. It wouldn’t have _killed_ Sorey to use a napkin, but really, who needed a napkin when Mikleo could just lean over the table and-- he stopped that thought immediately. “You were acting like a kid over strawberries yesterday. I just thought it was better to indulge you now before you did something weird.”

“What? I was not acting like a kid!” Just as Mikleo had hoped, Sorey’s lips pursed into another adorable pout.

“You’re acting like one now,” Mikleo sighed and pointed to his mouth. “You’re a mess.”

“Huh? Oh, whoops.” Instead of reaching for his napkin, Sorey traced his tongue over his mouth several times, searching for each and every bit of food he could taste. It took all of Mikleo’s self control not to bury his face in his hands, and he silently scolded himself for not just handing Sorey a damned napkin. “Thanks.”

“No problem…” Mikleo mumbled, busying himself with his own meal. _Why_ did the world feel the need to make this so much harder for him than it already was?

“You got up early to make all this, right?”

“I woke up early,” Mikleo corrected. “You were still asleep; I took the chance to cook without someone trying to eat it all before I could finish.”

“Haha,” Sorey huffed and speared a strawberry that had fallen free of his toast. “But since you cooked, I’ll clean up, okay?”

“What? You don’t have to--”

“I want to,” Sorey insisted, setting his fork down as he quickly chewed through his last bite. “You’re always making the meals for both of us whenever we don’t go out. It’s only fair I keep up my own share, right?”

The protest Mikleo had been ready to offer went ignored as Sorey stood up and gathered both their plates. Trying to argue with Sorey once he set his mind to something was like trying to single-handedly push a car down the road. Near-impossible, exhausting, and just generally not worth the effort. Besides, where Sorey might have been a danger with almost every meal he tried to make, he did know how to clean without breaking anything or setting fire to something. Mikleo could rest easy knowing the kitchen wouldn’t become a disaster zone while he dressed himself.

“Fine, fine; there’s tupperware in the cabinet. Put the leftovers in there and put them in the fridge; it should last until tomorrow.”

“Got it!” Sorey grinned and gave Mikleo a small push. “Go get ready, okay?”

With a slow nod, Mikleo pushed aside his reluctance and returned to his room. His backpack, to his surprise, had been picked up from where he’d tossed it the night before and sat waiting for him on his desk. Unzipping it revealed that everything had been nearly reorganized and all his papers returned to their folders where they’d slipped out. He hadn’t even noticed when he’d woken up, but the lack of tripping or slipping over scattered papers really should have caught his attention.

What on earth _happened_ last night?

He remembered coming back to the dorm in an emotional rush, showering, Sorey’s own panic at his sudden disappearance, having his hair brushed, and then… nothing. Had he fallen asleep? Gone back to his room and cleaned up in a daze? How tired _was_ he?

Pushing the thoughts aside, Mikleo crossed the room to his closet. It wasn’t worth fretting over something he didn’t know; it would just be easier to ask Sorey when he finished getting ready. They had both been in the dorm, surely Sorey would have known when he went to bed.

When he finally stepped out of his room, he found Sorey standing just inside his doorway, dressed, and with his phone in his hand as he spoke in a near-whispered tone. “Really?” Sorey smiled, whatever the other person was saying seemed to brighten his mood. “Thank you! This really means alot to me. I--huh? I know, I know. I’ll make sure he doesn’t--what? No! That’s not--that’s just weird. I just wanted to--oh!” Sorey paused and lowered the phone as Mikleo drew closer, and smiled. “Mikleo! Just give me a second--I’ve got to go, okay? Mikelo is ready to--that’s just mean. ...right. I’ll see you later.”

“Assignment?” Mikleo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A… huh?”

“Were you talking to someone about an assignment,” he repeated, nodding to Sorey’s phone.

“O-oh! Yeah!” Sorey nodded quickly. “It’s, uh, for one of my other classes. A… project. Kind of.”

“...right.” Sorey was, Mikleo knew almost immediately, that he was being lied to. It wasn’t something Sorey did very often -- let alone tried -- but he was awful about it whenever he did. Normally, Mikleo would call him out almost immediately, but he had to remind himself that Sorey’s life was not _his_ to pry into. No matter how close or how weird Sorey might have been lately, he would never do something stupid or dangerous. In time it would come out; he’d just have to wait. “Before we go… can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Sorey pocketed his phone and inclined his head, curious. “What’s up?”

“When did I go to bed last night? I don’t remember going back to my room.”

“O-oh…” To Mikleo’s surprise, Sorey flushed heavily and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. “Well, um, actually…”

“Actually…?”

“You didn’t.”

“I woke up in bed,” Mikleo pointed out, crossing his arms. “How could I have gotten there without going?”

“I mean, you did to to bed, just… You kind of fell asleep while I was brushing your hair.”

Mikleo felt his stomach drop as colour drained from his face. He _knew_ it had been relaxing, but enough for him to completely pass out?

“It was kind of cute, actually. You have this really tiny little snore and--wait, that’s not the point.” Sorey’s cheeks grew darker still as his hands began to flail about in protest. “It wasn’t anything weird, really! I just didn’t want to wake you up -- I mean you’ve been so tense lately -- so I figured it was easier to just carry you to bed. I couldn’t really lift the covers because I would have dropped you if I tried to move them so I just… used the blanket from the couch.”

“And… my bag?”

“I picked it up.” The response was so immediate, like it was perfectly normal for him to come into Mikleo’s room and clean. “I guess it must have fallen off your desk or something… Did I mix everything up?”

“No… It was fine. I just… thought I’d left it on the floor.”

“It’s not like you to leave a mess like that,” Sorey explained, the red starting to fade from his cheeks. “I guess you must have been really tired yesterday.”

“Y-yeah.” It was an easy excuse and if Sorey wanted to believe it, it was much better than explaining the truth. “It’s been a long week.”

“I’ll bet -- the Student Council has been working like crazy. The festival posters look great, by the way. Who drew them?”

“I did.” Mikleo slung his bag over his shoulder and moved toward the door. “I did the colouring, anyway. Sergei did the lineart.”

“You both did awesome then.”

“...thanks,” Mikleo mumbled, his gaze drawn to the floor as he tried to will the warmth growing in his cheeks. Damn Sorey for being so… Sorey. “I have a meeting after class today, so--”

“Student Union until seven,.” Sorey cut in quickly and gave Mikleo’s shoulder a small squeeze. “I might be a little late getting there, but I’ll meet you in the lobby after.”

“You don’t have to keep doing that, you know. I _can_ walk back on my own.”

“I know,” Sorey shrugged, and adjusted the straps of his backpack. “I just want to.”

* * *

Mikleo left the Student Council room that evening in a surprisingly good mood. An entire month of pre-planning and getting things done ahead of time was finally starting to pay off. Long hours might have been tedious, but ultimately, it meant their schedules would now be more free for the next few weeks. It wasn’t the _best_ trade off, but it did mean more lunches he could actually enjoy with Sorey and less late-nights spent confined to a room that could be spent elsewhere.

Upon reaching the lobby, however, the first thing that Mikleo noticed was that Sorey wasn’t there. His eyes scanned the near empty lobby as he approached one of the small sitting areas, intent on waiting at least a few minutes before contacting Sorey and seeing if he should make the walk alone. He’d barely gotten the chance to sit down before something swung past his nose and slammed down on the chair arm nearby.

“What the-!?”

“You’re both idiots.”

 _“Edna."_ Mikleo’s expression twisted into a look of displeasure as he pushed what he now knew to be an umbrella away from his torso. He _really_ didn’t want another bruise from her constant ‘light’ jabs. “To what to I owe the… pleasure?”

“Sorey sent me,” Edna shrugged, tapping her umbrella against her shoulder. “‘Go pick up Meebo,’ he asked. So here I am. Picking up a wishy-washy, longing Poutleo.”

“I’m not--” Mikleo started and bit his cheek. Arguing with Edna was a steep and slippery slope, and not a game that anyone could win easily. Sometimes it really wasn’t worth the effort. “...why?”

“Because he’s a sap and you’re an idiot.” Edna frowned and pursed her lips, clearly irritated with _something_ , and Mikleo wasn’t entirely sure it was something he wanted to poke out. Not when she was clutching her umbrella as tight as she was and _he_ was the nearest target. Verbally and physically.

“Gee,” Mikleo deadpanned, grabbing his bag as he stood up. “Thanks for such a warm invitation.”

Edna glared, her jaw tightening briefly before her expression melted into something much softer and her cheeks pointed out. “How have you not figured it out yet?”

“Figured what out?”

“Exactly. Dummy.” Turning on her heel, Edna marched away from Mikleo’s chair and started for the main doors. “Hurry up, Dumbleo. It’s rude to keep a lady waiting.”

“Lady. Right. Could have fooled me…” Mikleo murmured and unconsciously rubbed his side. If she’d heard him, she didn’t react, and Mikleo was all the more grateful for it. He almost never got away from her quips _completely_ unscathed, and baiting Edna was as intelligent as throwing oneself into a den of wolves covered in fresh meat.

Breaking into a small jog, Mikleo caught up to Edna with ease and fell in step beside her. The walk between them was silent, only their footsteps and the soft swish as the small plush on her umbrella flicked back and forth. It was a bizarre sort of peace between them, the lack of a tense or teasing air a concept Mikleo wasn’t quite used to. Speaking seemed something of a gamble, but curiosity and a faint sense of self-preservation spurred him forward.

“Do I get to know what’s going on?”

“No.”

“...seriously?”

“What good would it do if I told you?” Edna shifted her umbrella, tilting it sideways to peer up at Mikleo. “Sorey wants you. Isn’t that enough of a reason?”

The ‘yes’ lingering on the tip of Mikleo’s tongue went unspoken, but it didn’t need to be. Edna’s eyes were already sparkling with amusement as the corners of her mouth quirked just slight enough that it could be seen if one knew how to look for it.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Fine, then where are we--”

“You’re going over there.” Without warning, Edna stopped and pointed ahead of them. “Obviously.”

Mikleo paused and looked up, following Edna’s finger to see Sorey sitting on a blanket in the shade of one of the larger trees in the courtyard. The hour was late enough that most lingering students were either eating dinner or had already eaten, but early enough that night classes had yet to be released. An orange glow illuminated the area as the setting sun slowly began to disappear behind the trees and rooftops, and gave the white fabric of the blanket Sorey had laid out an tangerine hue. If it didn’t risk getting him teased by _one_ of the two parties, he might have called it romantic or picturesque. All he knew for certain was that the light _more_ than complimented Sorey’s _everything_.

“Ugh,” Edna scoffed, and gave Mikleo’s back a small jab. “Stop _pining_ and just go.”

“Wh--I’m not pining!”

“Pinleo.” Edna rolled her eyes and jabbed him a second time. “Sicky sweet Sapleo. The sun is setting, he made a picnic. How romantic. My teeth are going to start rotting.”

“That’s not what it is at all!” Mikleo protested immediately with red cheeks. “Sorey is just… being Sorey.” Just as he had been for the last four and very painful weeks of Mikleo’s life.

“Uuugh.” Edna rolled her eyes and started to walk away. “Nevermind my teeth. My _brain_ is going to rot from all the stupid.”

“Excuse--”

“Hurry up and graduate from DumDum Academy so you can figure it out.”

“Figure _what_ out?” Edna had already walked away before he’d even finished the question, leaving Mikleo standing baffled with his hand half-extended and a frustrated look on his face. “What the heck was that…?”

“Mikleo!” Sorey’s voice tore Mikleo from his thoughts, gaining his attention with a brilliant smile and enthusiastic wave.

Objectively, Mikleo thought as he approached Sorey, the entire setup _was_ very romantic. The time, the set up, and even the less-than-casual clothing Sorey had donned instead of his uniform. The food set up didn’t look like anything that could be obtained in the cafeteria, which meant it had to be obtained elsewhere, or that Sorey himself had…

“How does it look?” Sorey asked as he offered Mikleo a plate once he’d sat down.

“You made all of this…?”

“Well… kind of,” Sorey smiled, sheepish as he fumbled with a napkin. “I’m not really the best at cooking stuff that’s not in a microwave, but I didn’t want to just bring a bunch of instant dinners, so… I asked Edna for help.”

Not knowing how to respond, Mikleo busied himself with filling his plate with the various dishes Sorey had been slowly pushing toward him. It was difficult to ignore the hopeful look in Sorey’s eyes as he clutched a fork loosely in his hand, and Mikleo’s hesitation melted into guilt. Certainly, Sorey was far from talented in the kitchen, but nothing in front of him looked burnt, nor did it smell bad or resemble a bizarre and unidentifiable mass. Edna _was_ quite talented with food, and Mikleo somehow doubted she would let Sorey get away with anything that wasn’t just short of perfection.

“It smells great,” Mikleo smiled and tried to sound encouraging as he steeled himself for the first bite. Good or not, it _was_ made by Sorey, and even if it had ended in food poisoning at least once, he couldn’t say no.

“How… how is it?” Sorey asked, watching Mikleo wearily as a bite was finally placed in his mouth and silence followed.

“It’s…” Mikleo blinked, quickly taking another bite to confirm he hadn’t simply gone into shock. A second and third of the other various side dishes Sorey had to offer followed quickly after. “This… this actually tastes amazing.”

“R-really? That’s great! I--hey!” Sorey crossed his arms with an audible huff. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Take an educated guess.”

“I’m not _that_ bad. I can cook things.”

“Frozen dinners don’t count.” Mikleo smirked, pausing in mid-bite as Sorey prepared to protest again. “Or instant noodles.”

“Hey! Some of those can get pretty complicated,” Sorey feigned offense as he tried to hold a serious face. “Some of them require a really specific amount of water, and others have a pack of vegetables _and_ flavour powder.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mikleo twirled his utensil absently between his fingers with as a smirk slowly spread across his face. “How _does_ the mighty chef handle it all?”

“Well, someone has to. How else will we get our weekly salt intake?”

“Try monthly.”

“Aw, but they’re really…” Sorey trailed off, eyebrows drawing together. A soft clicking sound could be heard from all directions, followed by a soft woosh and a small hiss. “What--” He didn’t get to finish as a stream of cold water hit his face.

“The sprinklers...!” Mikleo leapt to his feet, ready to try and make a mad dash to save all the food, but it was too late. Both his sides were assaulted by two different streams, soaking the fabric his shirt and trickled down to his trousers. It was cold, _much_ colder than the air around them and the sudden shift in temperature made them both yelp as they scrambled to match lids to bowls.

By the time they had managed to get everything away, half the food was waterlogged and both their clothes and the blanket had been thoroughly drenched. Water bogged down Mikleo’s hair, causing the near ponytail he’d always kept it in to sag and his bangs to stick out awkwardly. Long strands of white hair clung to his cheeks as water dripped off his nose and chin, falling to his collarbone and shirt. He was a complete mess.

“...why wouldn’t they look to see if anyone was out here?” Sorey mumbled, trying to wring the water from his shirt in vain. “What if someone was carrying their books or--”

“It’s on a timer,” Mikleo sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We should have been paying more attention.”

“No, it’s my…” Sorey’s voice faded out as he looked up and swallowed audibly. Pink was quickly mapping across his face, starting at his cheeks and working all the way down his neck and up to the tips of his ears. His eyes were wide, comically so, and Mikleo might have laughed if Sorey didn’t look like he was somewhere between awe and choking on his own saliva.

“Sorey? Are you alri--”

A hand on his cheek stopped Mikleo in his tracks, and before he could form another question to ask _what_ Sorey was doing, chapped lips pressed to his. Chaste and gentle, Mikleo’s thoughts crashed in a mess of half ideas and words as his mind attempted to rapidly make sense of what was happening. He’d barely processed beyond ‘Sorey’ and ‘kissing’ by the time air filled the space between them again, and he said the only thing that made it through his trainwreck of thoughts.

“W-what…?”

Sorey smiled nervously, fumbling with the damp feathers hanging from his ears. “I’m sorry, I just--water always looks so natural with you and--I guess with the sunset and everything it seemed really romantic--but you looked so _beautiful_ just then and--”

Beautiful. Romantic. Kiss…?

“What?”

“I--” Sorey froze, his eyes going wide a second time as his hands dropped and he suddenly looked appalled with himself. “I-I’m sorry, was it too soon? Zaveid kept saying I should have done something after the second date, but the dating books kept talking about the ‘moment’ being right, but then Edna said I needed to get over myself, and Rose kept telling me to _just do it_ and--”

 _“What?”_ Mikleo felt like a broken record, but it was the only word he could choke out. _Second date_ kept repeating over and over in his mind, but how there could be a _second_ date when there was never even a _first_ date didn’t make sense. There couldn’t have even been a date at all. They weren’t _dating_.

“T-the kiss,” Sorey’s blush darkened and he tugged nervously at the cuffs of his sweater. “I… I should have waited longer, huh? Maybe after the sixth date? But I guess I was trying to follow the book’s advice about moments, because that made the most sense--”

Mikleo choked and held up his hand, stalling Sorey’s mixed torrent of words. “We…” Mikleo swallowed and fumbled to scrap his thoughts together into something at least half coherent. “We… _second_ date? What was the first?”

“Huh?” The confusion in Sorey’s tone took Mikleo by surprise and he began to wonder if, maybe, this is what Edna had been alluding to earlier. “When we went to the movie.”

“That was a _date?”_

“Y-yes?” Sorey frowned, as if Mikleo had just asked something particularly perplexing. “Of course it was. I…” He trailed off and horror dawned on his face. “W-wait, you didn’t _know?_ I thought…” He paled and began to wave his hands frantically. “I-I’m so sorry, Mikleo! I thought you _knew._ When I asked if you’d had a good time I thought that meant you _wanted_ to continue, and I just assumed the rest were dates because--”

Sorey’s babble fell on deaf ears as the mismatched pieces slowly came together in Mikleo’s mind.

_The movie._

The movie Sorey had been suspiciously nervous about and bizarrely affectionate _after_. All the extra gestures, touches, the helpfulness, the dazzling smiles, and the gifts -- all things he’d been so accustomed to associate with Sorey. All of them amplified and so happily and genuinely given without a second thought.

“--and I’m really sorry. If you want me to go--wait, no, I have to clean up, so if you want me to stay with Rose or someone until you decide if you want to switch rooms--”

“...what?” Mikleo frowned, back to the single-word answer he’d been stuck on before. The distress and franticness of Sorey’s tone was off-putting. He wasn’t _upset_ , certainly not. Sorey had done the very thing he’d spent the past _month_ trying _not_ to do.

“I… um, you’re… giving me a really weird look. And I thought you were mad so I… suggested I stay with Rose…?”

Mikleo felt a great many number of things in that moment, but _mad_ was the last feeling that had even crossed his mind. If anything, he felt foolish for having not caught on. Between Sorey’s drastically more cuddly nature and Zaveid and Rose’s constant, gleeful looks, he should have known _something_ was up.

Edna was right. He _was_ an idiot.

“Mikleo, I…” Not wanting another apology, Mikleo grabbed Sorey’s shoulder and pulled him forward, standing on his toes to meet him halfway. The concerned yelp that followed was muffled as their chests bumped together.

A first kiss, Mikleo remembered reading somewhere, was supposed to be magical. Filled with fireworks and warmth and completely _unforgettable_. At best, their's had been awkward and startling, followed by a great deal of confusion.

The second kiss was much, _much_ better.

The faint taste of dinner was still on Sorey’s lips, and Mikleo happily took pleasure in it as his hands slide along the toned curves of Sorey’s chest to settle around his neck. An arm curled around his waist, tugging him closer as fingers wove into his hair and urged him closer -- an invitation Mikleo was more than happy to oblige. Damp, with a slight bash of teeth, they moved slowly until they found the spaces between each other where they fit perfectly.

This, Mikleo thought, _this_ was far better than magic or fireworks. It was late nights pressed together reading textbooks and pouring over maps. It was warm coffee slipped to him late into the evening when he’d spend hours and hours trying to perfect papers and stories. It was burnt pancakes and cries of panic as the fire-alarm went off and the sweet, rich chill of vanilla. It was the the musty smell of old, rustic buildings they shouldn’t have been in, but scurried through anyway. This was _Sorey._

They broke apart with a soft gasp, foreheads pressed together and heads dizzy from the lack of air.

“Mikleo, I--”

“I know.”

“Do you--”

“Yes. _Always._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it looks like there will be one more chapter. Probably shorter than the rest, but hopefully I'll get it out soon.
> 
> Sergei seems like he would be an arts and or theatre major. He really does. He’s got that vibe. I bet he enjoyed all the doodling and gushed over Mikleo's colours. ~~I bet he'll get so excited when he finds out he's dating Sorey too. What a romantic.~~
> 
> P.S - If anyone wants to know what Mikleo made for breakfast, you can see it linked below. Because link coding is not working right now for some reason. Whoever invented Strawberry Nutella French Toast is a GOD.
> 
> http://cdn2.recipetineats.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/DSC_0303.jpg


	5. Chapter 5

“Are you _kidding me?_ ” Rose’s voice rose over the sound of students mingling in the courtyard as they darted the various game and accessory stalls. Beside her, Alisha jumped and glanced around, smiling apologetically at students nearby who had stopped to stare at the covered picnic bench where they were sitting. “You weren’t even _dating!?”_

 _“Rose,”_ Alisha chastised, giving her sleeve a sharp tug, “not so loud, please. You’re startling the other students.”

“Who _cares,_ Ali,” Rose protested, pointing a very apologetic Sorey, and Mikleo who looked like he wanted nothing more than to simply disappear. “We’ve got a bigger problem right now!”

“I don’t think a misunderstanding like this counts as a problem if it’s already been resolved.” Alisha paused, peering curiously at the two reddest faces at the table. “It _has_ been resolved… hasn’t it?”

“Yeah!” Sorey beamed and pressed his shoulder against Mikleo’s, closing the already minimal space that was left between them. “It was kind of weird we found out we both didn’t know, but, we talked about it and now everything is really great.”

“That’s good,” Alisha’s smile was soft as she looked between the two of them, a glowing approval in her eyes. “I was beginning to get worried. Rose had told me something was wrong with Mikleo and I’d thought maybe you two had a fight.”

“Not a fight,” Mikleo sighed, leaning his forearms against the table. “Sorey just charged ahead without thinking. Again.”

“H-hey!” Sorey’s expression fell, his lower lip protruding. “I thought you knew it was a date!”

“You thought a lot of things, apparently,” a small smirk spread over pale lips as Mikleo shrugged. “Except to make sure your ‘partner’ knew you were dating.”

“W-well, that’s… You never pushed me away, when we were cuddling or eating or--”

“Ugh, I get a stomach ache just _listening_ to them.” Edna scoffed, and twirled an empty skewer between her fingers. “They practically turn the air into cotton candy.”

“We do _not,”_ Mikleo huffed, leaning forward to peer at Edna around Zaveid’s shoulders, a frown deeply etched on his face. “We’re not even _doing_ anything.”

“Nothing at all,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “That’s all Sorey’s hand is doing.”

Coughing, Sorey’s cheeks took on a faint hue of pink as his hand temporarily paused the absent-minded trail it had been following repeatedly along Mikleo’s thigh. Beside him, Mikleo’s face was slowly growing closer to a perfect impersonation of a tomato between the fingers he was futilely attempting to hide behind.

“Hey now…” Zaveid hummed, sliding tanned arms around Edna’s waist as he tugged her back against his chest. “They’re _actually_ in the honeymoon phase this time. They’ve got an entire week of being lost on the winds of _love_ before we get to make fun of them.”

“Says you.” Edna rolled her eyes and made a half-hearted attempt to escape his grasp. “They’ve _had_ their week.”

“Sorey sure did,” Zaveid nodded, “but Mikki here didn’t get to enjoy it. I mean, he _would_ have if everyone would have just taken _my_ advice and--”

“--gotten them in trouble,” Dezel’s gruff tone cut Zaveid off as set a small on the table, just short of Rose’s elbow. “I’m not picking anyone up from jail again.”

“That was _one time!”_ Zaveid protested, pointing at Dezel in dramatic offense. “And it wasn’t even my fault! The other guy--”

“--had the good sense to run. You, on the other hand…”

“I,” Zaveid motioned to himself with a flourish of the hand, “was a _responsible_ adult and stayed where I was to explain what had happened to the poor statue on the fountain.”

“Responsible,” Dezel snorted and took his seat beside Rose, “right.”

“You. Alisha.” Edna’s umbrella fell against the table with a small _thud_. “I’m hungry.”

“H-huh?” Alisha paused, her fingers intertwined with Rose’s hair as she tried to fix the loose strands back into the bun they’d fallen from. “Oh, um, the food stalls have been set up on the south side of campus, just past the small garden. I could show you if you’d like--” Her words cut short as she turned on the bench and her elbow collided with the edge of the umbrella.

Startled, she could only watch as it rolled slowly along the surface until it reached the edge and landed on the ground. “Oh! I-I’m so sorry, Edna, I didn’t mean to--”

“You knocked him over.” Edna stared at the fallen umbrella, scooping it up with a swift movement before her steely gaze settled on Alisha. “You could have hurt my Normin charm.”

“Hurt… _him?_ ”

“What, he can’t be a boy because he’s cute?” Edna asked, poking at charm. “That’s cruel. Even boys can be cute sometimes.”

“Wait, I didn’t mean--”

“Do the Normincarena as penance.”

“The--what?” Alisha froze, her lips parted in uncertainty. The confusion on her face was clear, and it was all Edna needed to press onward.

“You don’t know the Normincarena? How terrible. How else can you avoid the Normin’s Curse?”

“C-curse?” Alisha stood from the bench, the confusion slowly melting into panic as Edna shook her head.

Beside her, Rose eyed the small plush-like creature that hung from them umbrella uncertainly. Surely Edna had to have been joking, but it didn’t stop her from moving closer to Dezel. Better he was cursed than her, and she was very familiar with the concept of using him as a meat-shield.

“P-please!” With one hand on her chest, Alisha braced herself on the table with the other and leaned forward. “There must be something I can do…!”

“Hm… A food offering. Those have always worked for humans and gods.”

“Of course!” Alisha nodded and motioned back toward the main festival crowd. “This way, please. I’m sure we will be able to find something suitable as an offering.”

“Hm, I hope so. Normin curses are awful. Terrible. You might even sprout a second head.”

“Oh boy… There they go again.” Zaveid sighed and shook his head as he stood as well, running a hand through his hair. “Guess that’s my cue to get going too. I’ll make sure Edna doesn’t tease her too much.”

“So then… the curse isn’t real, right?” Rose asked, slow and careful. “It’s not like some freaky ghost-thing is going to come popping out of her doll?”

 _“No,”_ Dezel grumbled, pushing Rose’s plate closer to her. “Ignore that. Edna is being Edna. _Eat_. You haven’t all night. Somehow.”

“Hey! I’ve been running my own stall since this started. You can’t eat on the job, it’s bad for business. No one wants to buy merchandise with crumbs all over it.” Rose shrugged, as if the concept made perfect sense, and happily dug into the food she’d been brought. “B’shids, the deul whuz that I’d tahk the aftahnoun shft and Euhguhne would tahk the nught.”

Frowning, Dezel reached over and carefully pushed Rose’s mouth closed with a finger and shook his head. “Swallow, then speak. No one wants to wear your food.”

“I’m not _that_ messy,” Rose turned back to Sorey and Mikleo, seeking support, but was only met with a strained expression of distaste and an apologetic smile. “Geez… this is what I get for skipping my breaks.”

“Huh? Why would you skip out?” Sorey asked, resuming his petting of Mikleo’s leg. “Couldn’t you have eaten then?”

“Probably,” Rose shrugged, “but the way I see it, the more I worked, the faster I’d get done. If no one was covering my breaks, I’d reach my hours faster.”

“But why--”

“Because she worked through the afternoon,” Mikleo cut in, catching Sorey’s hand before it could accidentally go too high. “There’s less people now.”

“Exactly!” Rose exclaimed with a bright expression. “Easier for Dezel over here to move around when everyone and their brother isn’t shoving him around.”

“...Rose.” Dezel’s grumpy exterior cracked and his tense shoulders fell slack. The corners of his mouth curved, forming a small, but very noticeable smile, and Mikleo took that as his cue to stand up, tugging Sorey’s arm along with him.

“Come on,” he spoke, low enough for just Sorey to hear. “Let them have their moment.”

Sorey didn’t argue and allowed Mikleo to guide him away from the sitting area and out to the edge of the crowd. As much as he enjoyed watching Dezel’s soft side, exams had kept all of them busy as of late, especially the older students. Combined with all the festival preparations being done in clubs, the two had very little time together.

“So…” Sorey hummed, looking up and down the sidewalk, “Where do you want to start? Food? Games?”

“Neither,” Mikleo replied, pointing toward the distant end of the sidewalk, “the Engineering Club set up a racetrack in the staff lot. Supposedly they designed all the vehicles after those goblin carts in that comic book series you--”

“S-seriously!?” Sorey beamed. “I thought they weren’t going to allow it--”

“The council spoke with the teachers, that’s all. As long as we promised to have it all out by tomorrow and required students to wear helmets, they allowed it. It’s not like I’m going to use my ticket anyway, and--”

“You’re the greatest, Mikleo!” Mikleo gasped, suddenly finding himself wrapped in a rib-crushing hug. “This is gonna be so _awesome!_ I wonder if they made all of them or--” He could barely make out the excited, quick-based babble that followed as Sorey took his hand once more and laced their fingers together, but he didn’t care. Sorey was practically _glowing,_ his face brighter than all the lights of the festival combined.

“--but after that, we can head to the games.”

“Huh?” Mikleo stumbled, nearly colliding with Sorey, who had just stopped short.

“The games,” Sorey repeated as he pointed to several stalls across the way, “they have one for those water balloon yo-yos you like. And I saw there was an archery one too, I bet you’d be awesome at that -- and maybe we could try together? My aim is awful.”

“Y-yeah,” Mikleo coughed and his cheeks felt even warmer than before. “Leave the aiming to me.”

Sorey grinned and started to move through the crowd again, never losing his warm hold on Mikleo’s hand. “Oh! And food! You can’t have eaten much today with all the set-up, so dinner is my treat -- I won’t take no for an answer.”

Mikleo could only nod in agreement and watch in absent fondness as Sorey’s focus fell back on the goblin cart race and how much fun it was going to be. Happiness looked _stunning_ on Sorey, and sent butterflies dancing through his stomach as heat spread across his face. Even if, for once, it was _Sorey_ who got teased more than himself, he couldn’t help but blame himself for not catching on. The doubts he’d felt before, of not knowing how to take Sorey’s mixed signals, seemed so ridiculous in hindsight.

A soft tug tore him from his thoughts as he felt himself stumble forward, caught by an arm around his waist and a pair of soft lips against his own. “S-sorry, I just--you looked really pretty again with all the lights and…” Sorey smiled, a rosey hue on his cheeks as he rubbed his neck. “I guess I should have asked before--”

“No,” Mikleo shook his head quickly, unable to stop a wide, carefree smile as his hair swayed behind him. “It’s fine. You don’t have to ask.” He paused, recapturing Sorey’s hand in his own to press his cheek against the tanned palm. “You never have to ask. Not for that.”

“R-right!” Sorey perked up, his eyes glowing with delight at the prospect of being able to kiss Mikleo all he wanted. He -- apparently -- had quite a few weeks to catch up on. “Then… ready to go?”

Their hands moved in tandem, comfortably sliding into the open spaces between them with fluid ease. “Yeah,” Mikleo nodded, falling into step beside Sorey, rather than behind. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the epic tale of Sorey being vague and Mikleo suffering for it... but at least it had a happy ending!
> 
> That aside, I want to take this moment to thank everyone -- commenters, kudo-leavers, and readers alike. All the support I got for this story means a lot to me, more than I can express. I'm always afraid I don't do the Zestiria cast justice when I write them, and to hear that people think I do is such a relief. I didn't get this done as quickly as I wanted to (the plan was to have it finished for SorMik Week) but I did get it done before the end of August, and that was my secondary goal. So that's something~
> 
> Another thank you to TalesofSymphoniac on tumblr for letting me run with this prompt and anon gave them and they then elaborated on. I had a lot of fun writing this and, even if I didn't get it done quickly, it was one of the easiest fanfics for me to put to word. Which is bizarre, but great at the same time.
> 
> So... thank you everyone! I hope this ending was as enjoyable as the rest and left you satisfied.


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